# 生命
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): shēngmìng
       (Zhuyin): ㄕㄥ ㄇㄧㄥˋ
    (Nanjing, Nanjing Pinyin): sènmīn
* Cantonese (Jyutping): sang$^1$ ming$^6$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): sên-miang / sâng-miang
* Eastern Min (BUC): sĕng-mêng
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): seng-bēng / sng-bēng / seⁿ-miā / siⁿ-miā
    (Teochew, Peng'im): sêng$^1$ mêng$^6$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^1$sen-min
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: shēngmìng
*** Zhuyin: ㄕㄥ ㄇㄧㄥˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: shengmìng
*** Wade–Giles: shêng$^1$-ming$^4$
*** Yale: shēng-mìng
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shengminq
*** Palladius: шэнмин (šɛnmin)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʂɤŋ⁵⁵ miŋ⁵¹/
** (Nanjing)
*** Nanjing Pinyin: sènmīn
*** Nanjing Pinyin (numbered): sen$^1$ min$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /sə̃³¹ mĩ⁴⁴/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: sang$^1$ ming$^6$
*** Yale: sāng mihng
*** Cantonese Pinyin: sang$^1$ ming$^6$
*** Guangdong Romanization: seng$^1$ ming$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /sɐŋ⁵⁵ mɪŋ²²/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sên-miang / sâng-miang
*** Hakka Romanization System: sen$^ˊ$ miang / sang$^ˊ$ miang
*** Hagfa Pinyim: sen$^1$ miang$^4$ / sang$^1$ miang$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /sen²⁴⁻¹¹ mi̯aŋ⁵⁵/, /saŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ mi̯aŋ⁵⁵/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: sĕng-mêng
*** Sinological IPA : /sɛiŋ⁵⁵⁻⁵³ mɛiŋ²⁴²/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: seng-bēng
*** Tâi-lô: sing-bīng
*** Phofsit Daibuun: sengbeng
*** IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /siɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² biɪŋ²²/
*** IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /siɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ biɪŋ³³/
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sng-bēng
*** Tâi-lô: sng-bīng
*** Phofsit Daibuun: sngbeng
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /sŋ̍³³ biɪŋ⁴¹/
** (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: seⁿ-miā
*** Tâi-lô: senn-miā
*** Phofsit Daibuun: svemia
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /sẽ⁴⁴⁻³³ miã³³/
** (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siⁿ-miā
*** Tâi-lô: sinn-miā
*** Phofsit Daibuun: svimia
*** IPA (Taipei): /sĩ⁴⁴⁻³³ miã³³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: sêng$^1$ mêng$^6$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: seng mĕng
*** Sinological IPA : /seŋ³³⁻²³ meŋ³⁵/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^1$sen-min
*** MiniDict: sen$^平$ min
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^1$sen-min
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /sən⁵⁵ min²¹/
* Middle Chinese: sraeng mjaengH
Rime :
| Character | 生 | 命 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 生 (21) | 明 (4) |
| Final (韻) | 庚 (109) | 庚 (111) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | II | III |
| Fanqie | 所庚切 | 眉病切 |
| Baxter | sraeng | mjaengH |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ʃˠæŋ/ | /mˠiæŋ$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ʃᵚaŋ/ | /mᵚiaŋ$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ʃaŋ/ | /miaŋ$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ʂaɨjŋ/ | /miajŋ$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /ʃɐŋ/ | /miɐŋ$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /ʃɐŋ/ | /mĭɐŋ$^H$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ʂɐŋ/ | /mi̯ɐŋ$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | shēng | mìng |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | sang$^1$ | ming$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*sreŋ m-riŋ-s/
    (Zhengzhang): /*sʰleːŋ mreŋs/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 生 | 命 |
| Reading # | 1/3 | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | shēng | mìng |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ sræng › | ‹ mjæng$^H$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*sreŋ/ (MC srj- > sr-; or *s.reŋ ?) | /*m-riŋ-s/ (dialect: *m-r- > *mr-, *-iŋ> *-eŋ) |
| English | bear, be born; live | command (n.) |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. |||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 生 | 命 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 1/1 |
| No. | 11312 | 8275 |
| Phonetic component | 生 | 令 |
| Rime group | 耕 | 耕 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 生 | 命 |
| Old Chinese | /*sʰleːŋ/ | /*mreŋs/ |
| Notes | | 令轉註字 |

### Noun

生命
* (countable, uncountable) life (characteristic of living beings, state of being alive) (Classifier: 個／个 m c; 條／条 m c)
    生命寶貴／生命宝贵 ― shēngmìng bǎoguì ― life is precious
    浪費生命／浪费生命 ― làngfèi shēngmìng ― to waste one's life
    外星生命 ― wàixīng shēngmìng ― extraterrestrial life
    生命的意義／生命的意义 ― shēngmìng de yìyì ― the meaning of life
       wēijí dào mǒurén de shēngmìng [Pinyin]
       to endanger someone's life
       Zhēnxī shēngmìng, jùjué dúpǐn. [Pinyin]
       Cherish life, say no to drugs.
       Sǐwáng bù shì shēngmìng de zhōngdiǎn, yíwàng cái shì. [Pinyin]
       Death is not the end of life; forgetting is.
* living being; creature
    可愛的小生命／可爱的小生命 ― kě'ài de xiǎo shēngmìng ― cute little creature
* (figuratively) timespan (of an activity); career
    政治生命 ― zhèngzhì shēngmìng ― political career

#### Synonyms

* 一口氣 / 一口气 (yīkǒuqì) (figurative)
* 命仔 (meng$^6$ zai$^2$) (Cantonese)
* 性命 (xìngmìng)
* 活命 (huómìng)

#### Derived terms

* 小生命 (xiǎoshēngmìng)
* 新生命
* 無生命 / 无生命 (wúshēngmìng)
* 生命保險 / 生命保险 (shēngmìng bǎoxiǎn)
* 生命力 (shēngmìnglì)
* 生命器官 (shēngmìng qìguān)
* 生命形式 (shēngmìng xíngshì)
* 生命徵象 / 生命征象 (shēngmìng zhēngxiàng)
* 生命教練 / 生命教练 (shēngmìng jiàoliàn)
* 生命科學 / 生命科学 (shēngmìng kēxué)
* 生命線 / 生命线 (shēngmìngxiàn)
* 生命跡象 / 生命迹象 (shēngmìng jìxiàng)
* 生命週期 / 生命周期 (shēngmìng zhōuqī)
* 生命遊戲 / 生命游戏 (Shēngmìng Yóuxì)
* 生命體 / 生命体 (shēngmìngtǐ)
* 生命體徵 / 生命体征 (shēngmìng tǐzhēng)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 生命(せいめい) (seimei)
* → Korean: 생명(生命) (saengmyeong)
* → Vietnamese: sinh mệnh (生命)

#### See also

* 人生 (rénshēng)
* 生活 (shēnghuó)

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 生 | 命 |
| せい Grade: 1 | めい Grade: 3 |
| on'yomi ||

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) せーめー [séꜜèmèè] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [se̞ːme̞ː]

### Noun

生(せい)命(めい) • (seimei)
* life; one's existence

#### Usage notes

生命 is distinct from several other Japanese words that may also be translated to English as "life". In particular, it means "biological life in general, particularly in scientific contexts". Compare the terms below, which may also be rendered as "life" in English:
* 生活 (seikatsu, “life”): Day-to-day life as it is experienced; lifestyle; one's usual activities, habits, and routines.
* 生存 (seizon, “life”): Action involved in staying alive, as in "signs of life".
* 命 (inochi, “life”): The state of being alive, an animating force, or life as a whole (from birth to death).
* 存在 (sonzai, “life”): Being; either the state of existing or a thing that exists.
* 人生 (jinsei, “life”): A person's narrative, experience, and/or accomplishments from birth to death.
* 寿命 (jumyō, “life”): Lifespan or life expectancy.
* 残機 (zanki, “life”): A video-game life; a chance to play.
* 元気 (genki, “life”): Liveliness.

#### See also

* Appendix:Gikun_Usage_in_Meiji_Version_of_Japanese_Bible/生命

### References

* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 生 | 命 |

### Noun

生命 • (saengmyeong) (hangeul 생명)
* hanja form of 생명 (“life”)

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 生 | 命 |

### Noun

生命
* chữ Hán form of sinh mệnh (“life”).